Newborn specialists provide basic care for newborns and help parents develop routines for their babies.
Newborn specialists help provide all the basic care that babies require during the first few months of life, such as feeding, diapering, and baby hygiene. They also share their expertise in helping parents develop routines and create safe environments for their babies. The job often requires you to work through the night, as this is when many parents need help the most. Although you can become a newborn specialist without special training, you will need to be very familiar with all elements of newborn care.
Make sure you have permission to post a flyer on a bulletin board.
Although newborn specialists were once called “baby nurses,” they are not nurses in the medical sense. You don’t need advanced medical training to become a newborn specialist, but it’s a good idea to take a basic first aid course. Look for one that teaches cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for newborns and how to deal with emergencies and medical challenges. Even if you have already taken adult CPR and lifesaving courses, you can benefit from these courses; the procedures for dealing with newborns are completely different. Knowing that you have the tools to handle an emergency can help you feel more confident and give you a head start when applying for positions to become a newborn specialist.
A newborn specialist can offer their services up to 3 months after the baby is born.
Certification isn’t typically required, but you may want to take a few classes before becoming a newborn specialist, just to make sure you understand all the basics of newborn care. Online courses are available and generally require reading material and taking a proficiency test. These classes are great if you just want to expand your own knowledge, but since they don’t have a verification process to make sure you’re the only one taking the test, they may not carry much weight in the field. Check with your local community college or vocational training school to find out if they offer newborn care classes, as these institutions often provide certificates to people who have completed these courses. Nanny agencies may also offer training.
Newborn specialists have an affinity for newborn development.
When you feel like you’re ready to start applying for positions to become a newborn specialist, you can try your own marketing or apply to an agency. If you want to do it yourself, it’s a good idea to place an ad in the newspaper or on bulletin boards in areas frequented by pregnant women and new mothers. Just make sure you have permission to post a flyer on a bulletin board. Agencies are good options if you want someone else to do the marketing for you. Once you are accepted at an agency, they will help you find a job.